erkpod
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I've read that it's not easy to walk it but Singapore won't stop you from doing it from their end.
I saw the queues downtown to catch buses across the border... no thank you!
Erk's 2014 Pacamerican Circle
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I've read that it's not easy to walk it but Singapore won't stop you from doing it from their end.
I saw the queues downtown to catch buses across the border... no thank you!
erkpod
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I was thinking that it would be the same fine as the one for eating. I wonder if that means that you can't even possess one?
My hotel also has no durian signs erected.
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rogerkambah
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You didn't stay at Riff-Raffles Hotel then?
No, neither did we, but we did have a few drinks in the Long Bar - didn't see a tiger though.
No, neither did we, but we did have a few drinks in the Long Bar - didn't see a tiger though.
erkpod
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Was that the one I photographed or does he have another one also?
erkpod
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I'm staying in Geylang.
drron
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erkpod
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Only I could go on a double decker route bus & not care where I end up on a Saturday night.
The bus ended the route at Clementi after it passed through downtown. From my hotel to the end of the route was 60 minutes. The train on the way back will be 30 minutes. It ended up being on the East West (EW) line.
End of the line for route 7.
Also end of the line for route 166.
Add something else to the things you can't do on a train or station - hawking. Still haven't seen a sign saying no photography yet.
I got on the train at EW23 & get off at EW8.
Oh yeah, I'm rocking my own world in my own way after a long day of tourist busing.
The bus ended the route at Clementi after it passed through downtown. From my hotel to the end of the route was 60 minutes. The train on the way back will be 30 minutes. It ended up being on the East West (EW) line.
End of the line for route 7.
Also end of the line for route 166.
Add something else to the things you can't do on a train or station - hawking. Still haven't seen a sign saying no photography yet.
I got on the train at EW23 & get off at EW8.
Oh yeah, I'm rocking my own world in my own way after a long day of tourist busing.
erkpod
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Day 54, Sunday 23 February
Singapore
First stop this morning was the Fountain of Wealth at Suntec City. I went into the fountain itself first & then after a navigation exercise due to ongoing construction in the centre, I looked into the fountain from street level.
For luck, you make a wish & put your right hand into the centre of the fountain & then walk around it three times clockwise.
I then went on another Aqua Duck tour. Despite my previous Aqua Duck tours (Gold Coast, Darwin, San Francisco), it was a short drive to the duck launch site into the river & most of the time was spent on the water.
On the tour, the guide asked each person where they were from. There were people from Singapore, England, Germany, Sweden, Japan & some guy from Australia. Because he asked everyone else where they were from & not say himself, I asked where he was from. Singapore born & bred, he says. Before becoming an Aqua Duck tour guide, he worked for SQ for over 40 years at the airport.
Because this tour was live rather than pre-recorded, the guide was able to interact with the crowd & tell people things that were current. One such current thing was the temporary seats in front of the F1 pit garages due to a local event.
Being on the water also gives an alternative view of the buildings & other structures at a more sedate pace compared to the Colin McRae bus drivers on the tours yesterday.
Singapore
First stop this morning was the Fountain of Wealth at Suntec City. I went into the fountain itself first & then after a navigation exercise due to ongoing construction in the centre, I looked into the fountain from street level.
For luck, you make a wish & put your right hand into the centre of the fountain & then walk around it three times clockwise.
I then went on another Aqua Duck tour. Despite my previous Aqua Duck tours (Gold Coast, Darwin, San Francisco), it was a short drive to the duck launch site into the river & most of the time was spent on the water.
On the tour, the guide asked each person where they were from. There were people from Singapore, England, Germany, Sweden, Japan & some guy from Australia. Because he asked everyone else where they were from & not say himself, I asked where he was from. Singapore born & bred, he says. Before becoming an Aqua Duck tour guide, he worked for SQ for over 40 years at the airport.
Because this tour was live rather than pre-recorded, the guide was able to interact with the crowd & tell people things that were current. One such current thing was the temporary seats in front of the F1 pit garages due to a local event.
Being on the water also gives an alternative view of the buildings & other structures at a more sedate pace compared to the Colin McRae bus drivers on the tours yesterday.
erkpod
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This afternoon, I walked around some shopping centres downtown. Later, I jumped on another double decker bus & without planning or knowing it, I ended up at the western suburb of Clementi just like last night. Spooky.
I found a couple of places downtown that I'd like to eat at if I was there when hungry.
One for the golf heads amongst us - a ladies golf event is coming soon to Singapore.
More constuction downtown for new train lines & stations. This one is part of an extension for the new downtown line. Stage 1 recently opened in December 2013.
I found a couple of places downtown that I'd like to eat at if I was there when hungry.
One for the golf heads amongst us - a ladies golf event is coming soon to Singapore.
More constuction downtown for new train lines & stations. This one is part of an extension for the new downtown line. Stage 1 recently opened in December 2013.
Last edited:
erkpod
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Day 55, Monday 24 February
Singapore (Singapore) - Johor Bahru (Malaysia)
I had been looking forward to this day since the early stages of the trip. I love the whole border security process & entering a new country for the first time. The initial exploration & the "holy cough, I'm in ...." is an important part of travel for me.
I cast my mind back to the equalivant day of my Eurasian trip in 2011. I was in Hong Kong & I decided to do a day trip to Macau to get another stamp in the passport. When I arrived in Macau, I found a place on a sign saying Border Town. I had to find Border Town & after 2 bus trips, a walk & a taxi, I found it. I had not looked at where is bordering Macau before the trip & saw a lot of people heading into a building that looked like the way you'd enter a sporting stadium.
Returning to my hotel at Hong Kong that night, I was able to write as a status on Facebook:
"Today I walked to China..."
I wish on today's status, I'd be able to say that I walked to Malaysia.
But no.
For many years, people could walk from Woodlands to Johor but the Malaysians built a massive complex & cut the walking route. I had read on the interweb about the various transport options including route buses, express buses & taxis for those of us without our own vehicles.
Some people online had a sookylala saying that the Woodlands bus interchange was difficult to use & suggested alternative stations on the North South MRT line. Indeed, you could even use a route bus direct from downtown Singapore.
I decided to catch a train to Woodlands as per my original thought. From my nearest station at Paya Lebar (East West & Circle lines), I had at least 3 options to get to the North South line. I decided to get a train from Paya Lebar to Marina Bay via the Circle line. Most of the times I had been travelling, a change at Promenade was needed - but not today.
Changng trains at Marina Bay, I boarded a train that terminated short of Woodlands which allowed me to spend more time above ground a few stations away. I could have waited a few more minutes & caught a direct train to Woodlands.
Once at Woodlands, I noted a few places to eat & shop & had breakfast. After eating, I found I needed a 950 bus to the Woodlands Checkpoint. After waiting a few minutes, a 950 arrives & was promptly filled. It was only a single decker bus - height restrictions are an issue for the double decker buses so I read.
A few minutes later, signs for Johor start to appear including an interesting couple of signs reminding Singaporean vehicle drivers that they must have 3/4 of a tank of fuel in order to leave Singapore. This is to prevent them from filling up with cheaper fuel in Johor. If you do not comply, you could be fined & refused permission to leave.
With me wondering if the bus drivers need passports to do the route, we were dropped off at the departure point on the Singapore side of the fence, so to speak. While the bus drives forward to the other side of the fence, we go through the Singapore departure procedures. With an exit stamp for Singapore, we get back on a bus on the other side of the fence. Technically, we have left Singapore but are still on the Singapore side of the water.
I jumped on the 170 bus but I could have waited for a 950 bus if I wasn't in a border security area & they don't want you to loiter. All of this was done on the Singapore smart card. Driving across the causeway, northbound traffic to Johor was busier than southbound traffic to Singapore. There was, however, a truck breakdown southbound as I passed by. I wasn't in the best spot in the bus for photos (the bus was crowded) but I could see a footpath on the western side of the bridge.
So I could have walked.....
No.
Once on the Malaysian side, it was clear which was the old way to border security & which was the new way. The footpath ended by running into a concrete fence & there was no continuation. It would have been difficult also to leave the Woodlands checkpoint by foot. So no walking across the causeway for Erk but considering the heat, the air conditioned bus was a great idea.
A few minutes later saw me arrive at the CIQ building in Johor & what an impressive facility it is. Getting off the bus (and tagging off in Malaysia with a Singapore smart card!!), I passed through the formalities & officially entered Malaysia. Both ends were basically airport style & done with Asian efficiency.
Gathering my thoughts at JB Sentral (the city's main train station), I soon had no Singaporean phone service & was roaming on a Malay carrier. Leaving the climate controlled Sentral, the Malay heat seemed hotter than the heat to the south. Exploring the streets near Sentral, I found that the clean of Singapore was far behind me. Beggars & homeless people could be seen. Litter could be seen as could run down buildings. English was replaced as the main language on signs. The buses & cars were noticeably older. Once away from the border protection areas, the police presence was much higher in an hour in Johor than I'd seen in a few 5 days in Singapore.
With a plan of only being in the country for a few hours, I did not plan on currency exchange. There are plenty of currency exchange places at JB Sentral. I would exchange currency there or the main shopping complex across the road (JB City) but nowhere else. I did try 2 of my Visa cards in an ATM at JB Central without success.
If I'd come from regional or rural Asia or a place like the Hong Kong, Johor would not have been much of a surprise. But coming from Singapore (and Tokyo before Singapore), I was surprised and I didn't like it one bit. It was almost as though Singapore threw out the people & cars it didn't want & dumped it in Johor.
Needless to say, Johor isn't high on my list of places to rush back to. Obviously there's more to the city & the country than I saw in my 4 hours there. From what I've seen, KL is totally different & one day in the future (but not any time soon), I would like to visit KL & shouldn't judge KL & Malaysia based on JB (as the city is often abbrievated to).
In the end, I could not wait to get back to good ol' Singapore. Repeating the process of exit Malaysia, bus, enter Singapore, bus, I was accepted into Singapore again even though I didn't have a pen for my inbound passenger card. Malaysia is happy to stamp stamp stampity stamp without a card but Singapore still want a card. The officer at the Singapore checkpoint lent me a pen (zero chance of me stealing it!) and stamped my passport to allow me back in.
So if you are in Singapore & have the time, should you go to JB? Sure you should - do it once. It's 4 stamps on the passport you wouldn't have otherwise. If you are used to the SMRT or SBS Transit services & have the Singapore transit smartcard, use those options. It will even work on those services across the river.
Google Maps walking route from Woodlands MRT station to JB - does not use the causeway but uses a ferry.
Google Maps driving route via the causeway
Singapore (Singapore) - Johor Bahru (Malaysia)
I had been looking forward to this day since the early stages of the trip. I love the whole border security process & entering a new country for the first time. The initial exploration & the "holy cough, I'm in ...." is an important part of travel for me.
I cast my mind back to the equalivant day of my Eurasian trip in 2011. I was in Hong Kong & I decided to do a day trip to Macau to get another stamp in the passport. When I arrived in Macau, I found a place on a sign saying Border Town. I had to find Border Town & after 2 bus trips, a walk & a taxi, I found it. I had not looked at where is bordering Macau before the trip & saw a lot of people heading into a building that looked like the way you'd enter a sporting stadium.
Returning to my hotel at Hong Kong that night, I was able to write as a status on Facebook:
"Today I walked to China..."
I wish on today's status, I'd be able to say that I walked to Malaysia.
But no.
For many years, people could walk from Woodlands to Johor but the Malaysians built a massive complex & cut the walking route. I had read on the interweb about the various transport options including route buses, express buses & taxis for those of us without our own vehicles.
Some people online had a sookylala saying that the Woodlands bus interchange was difficult to use & suggested alternative stations on the North South MRT line. Indeed, you could even use a route bus direct from downtown Singapore.
I decided to catch a train to Woodlands as per my original thought. From my nearest station at Paya Lebar (East West & Circle lines), I had at least 3 options to get to the North South line. I decided to get a train from Paya Lebar to Marina Bay via the Circle line. Most of the times I had been travelling, a change at Promenade was needed - but not today.
Changng trains at Marina Bay, I boarded a train that terminated short of Woodlands which allowed me to spend more time above ground a few stations away. I could have waited a few more minutes & caught a direct train to Woodlands.
Once at Woodlands, I noted a few places to eat & shop & had breakfast. After eating, I found I needed a 950 bus to the Woodlands Checkpoint. After waiting a few minutes, a 950 arrives & was promptly filled. It was only a single decker bus - height restrictions are an issue for the double decker buses so I read.
A few minutes later, signs for Johor start to appear including an interesting couple of signs reminding Singaporean vehicle drivers that they must have 3/4 of a tank of fuel in order to leave Singapore. This is to prevent them from filling up with cheaper fuel in Johor. If you do not comply, you could be fined & refused permission to leave.
With me wondering if the bus drivers need passports to do the route, we were dropped off at the departure point on the Singapore side of the fence, so to speak. While the bus drives forward to the other side of the fence, we go through the Singapore departure procedures. With an exit stamp for Singapore, we get back on a bus on the other side of the fence. Technically, we have left Singapore but are still on the Singapore side of the water.
I jumped on the 170 bus but I could have waited for a 950 bus if I wasn't in a border security area & they don't want you to loiter. All of this was done on the Singapore smart card. Driving across the causeway, northbound traffic to Johor was busier than southbound traffic to Singapore. There was, however, a truck breakdown southbound as I passed by. I wasn't in the best spot in the bus for photos (the bus was crowded) but I could see a footpath on the western side of the bridge.
So I could have walked.....
No.
Once on the Malaysian side, it was clear which was the old way to border security & which was the new way. The footpath ended by running into a concrete fence & there was no continuation. It would have been difficult also to leave the Woodlands checkpoint by foot. So no walking across the causeway for Erk but considering the heat, the air conditioned bus was a great idea.
A few minutes later saw me arrive at the CIQ building in Johor & what an impressive facility it is. Getting off the bus (and tagging off in Malaysia with a Singapore smart card!!), I passed through the formalities & officially entered Malaysia. Both ends were basically airport style & done with Asian efficiency.
Gathering my thoughts at JB Sentral (the city's main train station), I soon had no Singaporean phone service & was roaming on a Malay carrier. Leaving the climate controlled Sentral, the Malay heat seemed hotter than the heat to the south. Exploring the streets near Sentral, I found that the clean of Singapore was far behind me. Beggars & homeless people could be seen. Litter could be seen as could run down buildings. English was replaced as the main language on signs. The buses & cars were noticeably older. Once away from the border protection areas, the police presence was much higher in an hour in Johor than I'd seen in a few 5 days in Singapore.
With a plan of only being in the country for a few hours, I did not plan on currency exchange. There are plenty of currency exchange places at JB Sentral. I would exchange currency there or the main shopping complex across the road (JB City) but nowhere else. I did try 2 of my Visa cards in an ATM at JB Central without success.
If I'd come from regional or rural Asia or a place like the Hong Kong, Johor would not have been much of a surprise. But coming from Singapore (and Tokyo before Singapore), I was surprised and I didn't like it one bit. It was almost as though Singapore threw out the people & cars it didn't want & dumped it in Johor.
Needless to say, Johor isn't high on my list of places to rush back to. Obviously there's more to the city & the country than I saw in my 4 hours there. From what I've seen, KL is totally different & one day in the future (but not any time soon), I would like to visit KL & shouldn't judge KL & Malaysia based on JB (as the city is often abbrievated to).
In the end, I could not wait to get back to good ol' Singapore. Repeating the process of exit Malaysia, bus, enter Singapore, bus, I was accepted into Singapore again even though I didn't have a pen for my inbound passenger card. Malaysia is happy to stamp stamp stampity stamp without a card but Singapore still want a card. The officer at the Singapore checkpoint lent me a pen (zero chance of me stealing it!) and stamped my passport to allow me back in.
So if you are in Singapore & have the time, should you go to JB? Sure you should - do it once. It's 4 stamps on the passport you wouldn't have otherwise. If you are used to the SMRT or SBS Transit services & have the Singapore transit smartcard, use those options. It will even work on those services across the river.
Google Maps walking route from Woodlands MRT station to JB - does not use the causeway but uses a ferry.
Google Maps driving route via the causeway
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